Gillespie's return sparks Belmont surge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It is mid-February in college basketball, which is the right time for a team to find its stride. Belmont has done exactly that, winning four consecutive games after stumbling in January.

The late season surge has helped the Bruins jump into the upper division of the Missouri Valley Conference race. They sit in a three-way tie for fourth place heading into Wednesday’s showdown at first place Drake. The top four teams in the standings will earn byes into the quarterfinals at the conference tournament in St. Louis next month.

“The four-game winning streak and having everybody back, I feel really good about where we are,” head coach Casey Alexander said. “We are not a finished product. We have a long ways to go.”

But the Bruins are closer to a finished product with the return of Ja’Kobi Gillespie. The sophomore guard broke his wrist Jan. 2, early in a 73-63 loss at Southern Illinois. He finished the game playing with essentially one arm behind his back, but a MRI revealed the extent of the damage.

Gillespie had surgery and then watched as the Bruins struggled to a 3-5 record over the next month.

“Watching my team I got to see some of the stuff we didn’t have and some of the reasons why we were losing,” Gillespie said. “So I feel like coming back I could bring those things to my team.”

His goal upon his return was to help Belmont get better defensively and to get out and run more in transition. When the calendar flipped to February, Gillespie was cleared to return, and he seemingly didn’t skip a beat.

He scored 15 points and dished out seven assists in his return at Missouri State. Despite a loss that day, it was clear how much better the Bruins are on both ends of the court with Gillespie.

Last Wednesday, he dropped a career-high 26 points in the rematch with SIU.

“Remarkable what Ja’Kobi’s done to step right back in and appear as if he’s never missed a day,” Alexander said. “His confidence level’s at an all-time high. His ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor has been really important to our team, and he just kind of releases the burden from everybody else and allows everybody to play their traditional roles and play a little bit more freely. He makes everything easier for everybody, coaches included. I’m a lot better coach when Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s out on the floor. You’ve got to have guys like that. Postseason (play) and March is all about guys making plays and he can do those things.”

Gillespie’s been elite all season long. He’s the only player in the country averaging more than 17 points, four assists and 2.4 steals per game this season.

He’s been even better since his return, averaging more than 21 points, five rebounds and nearly five assists per game during Belmont’s four-game winning streak.

“I’m not really amazed,” Belmont forward Malik Dia said. “’Kobi is an outstanding player. He’s so quick off the dribble. He can shoot it. He can find players. He’s just a really complete guard, and in my opinion, one of the best in the country.”

Gillespie also leads the Missouri Valley Conference in steals per game, now with 46 total for the season. And he doesn’t shy away from taking on the other team’s best player.

SIU’s Xavier Johnson is the nation’s second-leading scorer but has shot just 8-28 from the floor in the two meetings with Gillespie and Belmont.

“He guards the best players,” backcourt mate Keishawn Davidson said. “He’s disruptive, he gets steals. He just makes it easier on all of us.”

And the best may be yet to come for Gillespie and Belmont. They have their sights set on closing out the regular season strong and making noise in St. Louis.

Now that this team is whole again a run to a conference championship and a bid to the NCAA Tournament is no longer a pipe dream.

“We have a lot of talent,” Gillespie said. “I think out team can go as far as we want it to.”